I'm Intrigued...

From Wikipedia:

Secular Humanism is a secular philosophy that espouses reason, ethics, and justice, and specifically rejects supernatural and religious dogma as the basis of morality and decision-making. Secular Humanism is a life stance that focuses on the way human beings can lead good, happy and functional lives.

Tenets:

*Need to test beliefs – A conviction that dogmas, ideologies and traditions, whether religious, political or social, must be weighed and tested by each individual and not simply accepted on faith.
*Reason, evidence, scientific method – A commitment to the use of critical reason, factual evidence and scientific methods of inquiry, rather than faith, in seeking solutions to human problems and answers to important human questions.
*Fulfillment, growth, creativity – A primary concern with fulfillment, growth and creativity for both the individual and humankind in general.
*Search for truth – A constant search for objective truth, with the understanding that new knowledge and experience constantly alter our imperfect perception of it.
*This life – A concern for this life and a commitment to making it meaningful through better understanding of ourselves, our history, our intellectual and artistic achievements, and the outlooks of those who differ from us.
*Ethics – A search for viable individual, social and political principles of ethical conduct, judging them on their ability to enhance human well-being and individual responsibility.
*Building a better world – A conviction that with reason, an open exchange of ideas, good will, and tolerance, progress can be made in building a better world for ourselves and our children.

Notable people: Richard Dawkins, Roger Ebert, Albert Einstein, Jon Stewart, Jeremy Bentham (Oh hey John Locke), Kurt Vonnegut, John Lennon

Looks like I have more ideas for summer reading...

A music post.

I just uploaded about 400 songs to my computer thanks to my brother. NIOCE.

Why I bring this up: I can't stand putting my whole iTunes on shuffle because I need some consistency when listening to music. Unfortunately, that means missing out on a lot of good stuff that's right in front of me - if it doesn't come to mind, it just won't get played. I'm always looking for new stuff to add, only to be listened to a few times then forgotten...they're like the never-worn, still-have-tags pieces of clothing just sitting in my closet. What a waste.

But don't you guys have those moments when you listen to a song and you can automatically think of the perfect corresponding moment from your day? Or it takes to you somewhere very specific? Happened to me quite a lot today so I thought I'd share.

That guy that your friend won't shut up about but just needs to drop already. I will confront the dude for you my friend if that means getting all fierce up in his face Janet-style with accompanying dance moves. I'll even be content with a background dancer role. God I wish life was like a music video sometimes.

I hate this song. Heard it on the radio this morning. Every time I hear it, I'm standing on the bleachers inside the gym with 2 of my friends during a middle school dance, overlooking everyone else awkwardly slow dancing. OR I'm sitting on the floor in my room when I lived in the condo, crying over the guy I liked because he told me he was moving to the East Coast. Shoot me now.

I heard this song at Starbucks and it automatically made my heart all warm and gushy. It also makes me want to fly? It's just awesome.

Good morning at work...

and sometimes by the end of the day. Hah.

Yeezy thanks you for your time.

Hello, Goodbye

So it's official - in less than 2 weeks, I start the next chapter in my life as a fulltime working woman.

Hello to more moola & all that comes with it, including more responsibility. I think I did pretty well in college managing my finances, but now it's time to get serious. I will do my best to try & refrain from splurging on unnecessary luxuries, even though I'll have some leeway since I won't have too much to pay for while I'm living at home; I need to keep my focus on establishing my own place instead of designer purses or more clothes that I won't have room for in my closet anyways. Although I do need to revamp my daily wardrobe to business casual attire. Fun.

Then there's the hard part: goodbye. To lazy summer days. Spontaneous weekday adventures. Sleeping in. Real vacations. Not doing anything because I feel like it. Wasting any free time that I have. Gah I just I don't get burned out too fast. Wish me luck.

It's funny how I've just been dying to land this job for the last couple weeks and now that I finally did it, I focus not on what I'll be gaining but rather what I'll have to give up. It's that damned if you do, damned if you don't feeling. Haha but really, I'm not complaining. Time to conquer my next mountain...

Oh and if you're wondering where I'll commence my journey into the "real world", it's here.

Leap of faith

After a long, drawn-out conversation I had with a friend yesterday, we eventually touched on some important subjects that I didn't think would catch me so off-guard. It's like those conversations that you have in middle school where you nonchalantly tell your friends exactly how the rest of your life is going to (or at least, how you think it's supposed to) play out. Without really thinking about how monumental these events are in your life, you make that checklist in your head - college, graduation, starting your career, marriage, starting a family, etc.. Suddenly cut to 10 years later and when it's time to really start the discussion, lo and behold, you really don't know what to say. I've been having way too many of these moments lately haha:

Anyways, I guess we're just at that point in our lives where we actually have to confront all those things we said we would do when we were younger and probably a little braver as well; I mean what 12-year old took into account financial situations or baggage from past experiences when determining their destination in life? I know nowadays you can't help but think about these obstacles, but that naive outlook - sometimes you just have to revert back to that to cut out the bullshit & see the big picture. I appreciate everything that I've learned from my experiences with people and in relationships and just the "real world", but man it would be nice to go back to not having a worry in a world for a day again.

A little after the conversation finished, there was one thought that stuck in my head after talking about a particular subject, but I think it applies to everything -

Can you ever be 100% sure of something if you've never known otherwise?

With some big decisions that folks our age have to make and without having as much experience as older folks, I just have a hard time taking that leap of faith sometimes and just trusting that a certain decision is the right one. It's like saying San Diego is the best city in the world and there's absolutely no other place you'd rather be, but you've never been past the county borders. As much as you love this city and despite having numerous examples lined up to back your case, can you ever really go from that 99% to 100% sure that SD is the place to be and never bother leaving it for the rest of your life because it's that good to you? I don't know...

Another Reason Why Pixar Rules

For the whole article: Pixar grants girl's dying wish to see 'Up'

HUNTINGTON BEACH – Colby Curtin, a 10-year-old with a rare form of cancer, was staying alive for one thing – a movie.

From the minute Colby saw the previews to the Disney-Pixar movie Up, she was desperate to see it. Colby had been diagnosed with vascular cancer about three years ago, said her mother, Lisa Curtin, and at the beginning of this month it became apparent that she would die soon and was too ill to be moved to a theater to see the film.

After a family friend made frantic calls to Pixar to help grant Colby her dying wish, Pixar came to the rescue.

The company flew an employee with a DVD of Up, which is only in theaters, to the Curtins’ Huntington Beach home on June 10 for a private viewing of the movie.

The animated movie begins with scenes showing the evolution of a relationship between a husband and wife. After losing his wife in old age, the now grumpy man deals with his loss by attaching thousands of balloons to his house, flying into the sky, and going on an adventure with a little boy.

Colby died about seven hours after seeing the film :'(

...

Colby died with her mom and dad nearby at 9:20 p.m.

Among the Up memorabilia the employee gave Colby was an “adventure book” – a scrap book the main character’s wife used to chronicle her journeys.

“I’ll have to fill those adventures in for her,” Lisa Curtin said.

You go, Pixar. R.I.P. Colby <3

Happy 100th!

Between last-quarter-ever anxieties, putting in more hours at work, the laziness-inducing weather, and basically just figuring out what I'm going to do with my life, I haven't had a chance lately to just sit down and think things out for a minute. There's also the fact that I've been resorting to Twitter to post random, useless thoughts that don't warrant their own post, but I digress.  I saw that this would be my 100th post on this site (whoopee!) and I didn't have any grand idea deserving of this spot, so I guess it would just be best to look back on some of my favorite posts.

Unlike looking back at my old Xanga, I actually enjoy going back and reading through some of my old posts here haha.  From politics and religion to relationships and social commentary in general, I definitely solidified some of my views on  - or am on my way to figuring out - these topics during the past 100 posts.  I remember back in high school I was pretty indif

ferent to a lot of things, but thanks to my experiences in college, life, and just plain ol' growing up, I've been able to open my eyes arguably for the better.  

Dating/Relationships:

- Soulmates, Shmoulmates: One of my usual relationship wanks

- The Sexy Post: My guide on how to be "Top Tier" lol

- Wifey Skills According to Him:I'm not a fan of lists like this but it was fun to make it anyways

Feminism & Sexism:

- Sex Sells, Female Chauvinism, Etc.: Thoughts about beauty standards, where to draw the line b/w sexy and trashy

- Give Me a Break: Double standards FTL

Religion/Philosophy:

- Science & Religion: Contradictory or Compatible?: I was compelled to basically write an essay after taking my philosophy of biology class

- Searching for Answers: A summary of where I stand right now in regards to religion in my life and how it's changed

- They Say You Want a Revolution: Thoughts on these 2 subjects after one of our late night 198 talks

Politics/Civil Rights:

- My Turn on Prop 8 Thoughts: An issue I was pretty passionate about this past year

- Obama takes a step forward for women's rights and the abortion issue: Another touchy subject, I just wanted to get some information out there for people to think about

Thanks to all (probably around 3 haha) of my readers and people who have commented on my stuff, I really enjoy reading your commentary, criticisms and compliments! Here's to the next 100 posts *crosses fingers*

Back to Life

I have a little more than 2 weeks before school resumes, and I'm already stressing out about what I'm going to be doing this time a year from now.  Because frankly, I have no idea whatsoever. And it's not like I can depend on the next school year to start figuring shit out - I'm freaking graduating next spring *crosses fingers*

The past couple days I forced myself to try to get back into a somewhat school mode and look up my professors, check out the class websites, figure out my school and work schedule, find out what books I need, etc.  My brain hasn't had to process anything school related in almost 3 months, so even these little tasks hurt my head at the moment.  If that wasn't enough, today my mom proceeded to ask me - as she has been doing all summer - "So what are you going to do after college?" I've been able to get away with "Mom, I'll figure it out when fall quarter starts again, ok" but damn, the quarter starts on the 25th and the game plan for post-college life I'm supposed to be drafting in my brain is non-existent.  I even sat through a 30-minute video I downloaded from the UCI School of BioSci entitled "What You Can Do with a Bachelor's Degree in Biological Sciences".  How convenient right?

The thing is my mom has been hinting to me that she would like to see me pursue more education after earning my B.S.  However, I personally have been leaning away from that option and I have always had this perception of myself entering the work force directly after 4 years. I just wish I had thought of all of this sooner.  If I really had my heart set on a medical school, I should have made sure to maintain a more competitive GPA and take the right prerequisites according to the program of choice.  Same with grad school.  As for trying to find a job right out of college, I'm not even sure if I'm better off with this alternative either.  I just really don't know what I want.  F*ck, it wasn't even until recently that I had a feel for what fields of biology I actually like. How was I supposed to figure out 1-2 years ago what specific program at what specific school I wanted to work towards?  The fact that other people already know what they want at this stage in life doesn't make me feel any more prepared for the unknown.

Another thing that has always been in the back of my mind has been serving in the Peace Corps.  I've never taken that thought into serious consideration, and but the thought was always there as something that I believe would be life-changing adventure from the norm, all while promoting peace in developing countries and serving the global community.  I never thought my life would be able to accomodate 2 years of serving overseas and being away from friends and family; the focus was always on college, then finding a job, jumpstarting your career - you know, what's expected of a typical 20-something year old.  Now more than ever that option is a little tempting.

One thing I am sure about is how little time I have to make some pretty grown-up decisions.  Let's just hope it's not too little, too late.

Lessons Learned

I was so excited to finally hit good ol' summer once I finished finals, and for the most part, I was just happy to get some down time without having to think about studying for my next quiz or what I'm going to write about for my next paper. To be honest, I was just soo over school and wanted to give my brain a rest. But surprisingly, with so much time in my hands at the apartment, driving to and fro SD/Irvine, or even sitting at my desk at work for 7 hours everyday, I've just been thinking away 24/7 about life in general. I've been able to nitpick and analyze so many issues that I couldn't really wrap my brain around while trying to juggle school and work, and right now I feel like things are so much clearer to me than ever before. Who knew I would be able to learn so much this summer season? You won't believe all the little things that you realize when the time seems to pass slower and the days are longer.

First of all, I've realized that definitely not the same person I was a couple years ago, more beliefs/perspectives-wise than anything else. Even reading back to my xanga from 2 years ago seems completely foreign to me. I've really changed my outlooks on various aspects of life, from relationships, true friends, my future, priorities, ideals, and almost everything else under the sun. I think I've adopted a more "It is what it is" motto for life at the moment, going from a somewhat naive way of thinking to a more realistic one; life will throw you some serious curveballs (as I've learned myself as well as talking to some good friends this past month) and sometimes there's really nothing you can do about it except to make the best of it. I see now that some things you perceived as perfect before can come crashing down any second and that some things don't last forever, no matter how much you feel it should be otherwise. I don't want it to sound like I'm more accepting of those downs you experience in life or like I'm not as hopeful, because honestly I think it has only made me more appreciative of the "now", with me making more of an effort to not take anything for granted. I'm trying to avoid not knowing what I've got until it's gone.

Although I make the drive from Irvine to San Diego weekly, my most recent trip kind of solidified this new perspective. Two summers ago, I got into this bad car accident on the 5 after I did a 360 on the freeway and finally hit a side of a hill on the right side of the road. This time, I really paid attention to the area where it happened (right before the Manchester exit) and noticed that not even 50 meters before that was a view point - only 2 flimsy fences separate you from the fall off the freeway, and if I had spun out a few seconds before I did, who knows what the outcome would have been... The point I'm trying to get to is that I always used to think of "what ifs" in my life whenever I would feel empty at times or wished for something more. Now when those cross my mind, I try to focus on all the blessings in my life and realize how lucky I am just to be right here, right now. I'm not trying to make this post seem self-serving, but these are just some thoughts in my head that I want to put out there while they're still clear.

A little off topic but something that really makes my day is when the things I post about are actually relevant to life! Haha. Lately I've been having conversations with people or events happen and I would just think "Wow I blogged about that" or "Hmm must have read my post" lol - it's nice to know that the things that go through my head aren't so pointless after all (Soulmates, shmoulmates or They Say You Want a Revolution are 2 posts that come to mind, particularly the balance issue mentioned in the latter).

Even though I haven't done anything that exciting yet this summer, it's been great for me so far. Hopefully by the end of September I'll have more answers to life's questions, or better yet have more questions to challenge myself with.